Apparatus for assembling roofing elements



Aug. 9, 1932. D; A. CUMFER APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING ROOFING ELEMENTSFiled May 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 2 014112. cam m- ATTORNEYAug. 9, 1932.

D. AT CUMFER APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING ROOFING ELEMENTS Filed May 4, 19292 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY :Patented Au 9, 1932 UNITED STATES DoNALD A.comma, or NUTL'EY, NEW JERSEY, AssIo oB, BY NEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, TOTHEPATENT AND LICENSING CORPORATION, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS PATENT OFFICE v APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLIIVGBOOFIN G Application filed May 4,

This invention relates to apparatus for as- 1 sembling elements ofsubstantially uniform thickness. from separate stacks or piles thereof,and finds one particular adaptation in the roofing'industry forassembling shingle elements of diflerent colors r designs into piles orbundles composed of a number of shingles of eachof the several colors ordesi s.

Avery considerable proportion 0 prepared roofing shingles manufacturedatthe present time are surfaced with mineral grit or the like, invarious so-called multi-eolor effects. In the more desirable types ofprepared roofing of this character, the aim is to produce a roof inwhich shingle portions of various colors are distributed haphazardly onthe roof insuch a way as to avoid the possibility of any definitemathematical patterns or repetition of color effects. This is generallyachieved in practise by manufacturing the" shingles or shingle strips inseparate runs, the color arrangement of the shingles or strips of one;run differing more or less from those of the other runs, andsubsequently assembling the shingles from the separate runs, preferablyaccording to some preconceived plan, into packages. in which there willbe a number of shingles fromeach-run. In practise also, the arrangementor sequence of the shingles in some of the bundles differs from that inthe others, so that when the shingles are taken successively from'anumber of such bundles and applied on the roof, the desired ornamentalappearance will be secured.

' Hitherto it has been the practise to store a considerable quantity ofshingles from each of a number of runs and then by manual labor,assemble the shingles from the several runs into bundles containingshingles from the several runsarranged therein as described. Somewhatthe same general procedure is practised in conjunction with shinglestrips differing from one another in tab-configuration, producedinseparate runs but used in combination with one another as a set inlaying the roof.

It is an object of my invention to provide mechanism whereby shingles orshingle strips differing from one another in the color arrangementthereon, or in the tab design there- 1929. Serial o; 360,549.-

of, may be assembled into bundles containing the various shingles orshingle strips in definite sequence, the mechanism being also operableto vary the sequence in different bundles.

In accordance with the invention, I provide adjustableshelves orbrackets each of which is adapted to hold a pile or stack of shingles orshingle strips from one of several runs in proper relation to meansco0perating with the several stacks of shingles for successivelywithdrawing therefrom one of the also made for continuing or repeatingthe aforesaid assemblage until a bundle of the desired number of shingleelements is formed. Accordingto the preferred form of the invention,each of the stacks of shingles which are to make up the set or series inthe bundle is supported in such a way that the lowermost shingle inthestack may be readily withdrawn therefrom, and the arrangement of thewhole is such that the. withdrawal means operates upon the severalstacks to withdraw the lowermost shingles thereof in succession anddeposit them in a suitable receptacle or onto a collecting device. I

The invention will be more clearly understood from the, more .detaileddescription which follows, and from, the accompanying drawings in which,

Figurel is a side'elevation of the preferred embodiment of theinvention,

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof,

Figure 3 is a detail in perspective of partof the mechanism, I

Figure 4 is a detail in section showing the action of the withdrawalmeansupon astack of shingles, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view, partially in section, showinga modifiedconstruction of the supporting means for the stacks of shingles. g

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates asuitable framework for the mechanism and the numeral 11 denotes a seriesof spaced, endless chains pass-- ing around the sprockets 12, suitablyJournaled in the framework and driven from any convenient source ofpower, as by means of a pulley 12a.

spaced fingers or pins 13, the fingers on the several chains being intransverse alignment and functioning as the withdrawal means for theshingles from the several stacks in a manner as presently will appear.

In order to support a numberof stacks of shingles or similar elements inoperative relation to the mechanism thus far described,1 provide aseries of spaced supporting members comprising brackets or shelves 15secured to one of the members 10a of the supporting structure 10 andconstructed of angular sections each having an upright 15a and abedplate 156 extending substantially at right angles therefrom, theseveral sections oi each bracket being spaced from each other as at 15cand'the several shelves being spaced from each other. If desired, theuprights 15a of each bracket may be in one piece, with the portion 15?)formed as a recessed plate. Each bracket 15 of the series is arrangedfor adjustment relative to the chains 11, as for example, by'means ofextensions 16 secured rearwardly of the uprights 15a, and slotted as at17 to accommodate securing bolts 18 passing therethrough and through thesupporting member 10a. The spaces 15a intervening between the sectionsof each supporting member 15 are in the same general plane with thechains 11 so as to accommodate the pins or fingers 13 for free passagetherethrough In practise, the supports-15 will be adjusted to a positionin which the bed-plates 15bthereof are spaced from the chains 11 adistance slightly in excess of the aggregate thickness of the totalnumber of shingles or other elements to be collected in one pass of thechains beneath the brackets, and the pins or fingers 13 will be of aheight sufiicient .to extend substantially to the upper face of thelowermost element in each stack, but insulficient to extend therebeyond.As will be noted from Figure 1, the stacks of elements are arranged onthe sup,- porting shelves with the plane of the elements in parallelism,to the plane of travel of the chains and with the edges of the elementsextending in planes generally at right angles to the plane of travel ofthe chains. Hence, the shingles in each stack will lie in planes at anangle somewhat greater than 45 to the horizontal so that the weight ofthe stack will bear largely upon the'portions 15a of the supportingshelves rather than upon the bedplates 150, thus offering comparativelylittle resistance to the progressive removal of the lowermost shingle ineach stack by the pins In order to preclude the possibility of theshingles in the stacks tilting or falling backwardly, when arranged inthe position illuszitrated, stop plates 20 may be adjustably secured tothe supports 15.

Mounted adj acent the discharge or delivery 1 shingle strips from sixseparate runs, the

shingles from the several runs designated as A, B, C, D, E, F, andillustrated by squarebutt strip shingles, may be stacked upon theseveral shelves in the order named. It will be understood, of course,that the shingles of each, of said runs differ in color, or tabdesign,orboth, from those of theother runs. During the forward movement of thechains, the transversely aligned fingers 13 carried thereby will graspthe bottom-most shingle in each stack along its rearward edge as clearly"shown" in Figure 4, and force the same from beneath the remainder ofthe shingles in the stack, whereupon the shingle will drop onto thechain and move forwardly until the fingers 13 come into contact with thelowermost shingle of the succeeding" stack and withdraw the sametherefrom.. Each set of fingers 13 thus withdraws the bottom-mostshingle of the several stacks in succession so that by the time theshingle first withdrawn passes beyond the last stack in the series itwill have superposed thereon, in definite order, one shingle from eachof the other stacks. As the-complete set reaches the discharge end ofthe chains, the several shingles thereof will pass over the inclinedplate 24 and into the collectin device 23. The operation continues asdescribed, the succeeding series of pins 13 withdrawing the thenbottom-most shingle of the several stacks and when a sufficient numberof such sets of shingles are accumulated to form a bundle, they may beremoved from the collector23 as by sliding the bundle laterally over theidle rollers 22. v

then be bound or wrapped and the bundle may in any suitable fashion.

rality of sets of'shingles from the several stacksarranged in thebundles in recurring series. In order, however, to avoid objec As willbe apparent from the above, the bundles thus collected will contain aplu-- number of bundles have been accumulated in which the sequence ofthe shingles therein is A, B, C, D, E, F, the stacks of shingles fromsaid runs may be arranged on the supporting shelves in the order 1%, C,B, F, E, D; so that the bundles assembled during the operation of themachine as described, will have the shingles arranged therein in thelastnamed order. This variation of the sequence 'ofthe shingles in thecompleted bundles may obviously be carried'to as many permutations asthe number of diiferent shingles will permit. While I have illustratedthe operation of the machine in conjunction with six stacks of shingles,it is obvious that a greater 1 or lesser number may be used. Where thenumber of shelves are in excess of the number of different typesofshingles to be assembled, such shelves as may be unnecessary, may besimply left idle without altering the.operation of the machine.

In Figure 5, I have shown a modified construction 'of the supportingshelves 15, wherein instead of the flatbed-plates 150, I use a series ofsectional idle rolls 30 journaled in the side members 31 spaced fromeach other to accommodate the pins or-fingers 13. By means of these idlerolls, the withdrawal of the bottom-most shingle or other element ofeach stack may be facilitated.

Although I preferv a construction such as illustrated, wherein thestacks of shingles are supported at an angle to the horizontal, it wouldbe quite feasible to mount the chains for travel in a horizontal path,and employ the withdrawing mechanism described in conjunction withstacks positioned so that the shingles therein also lie in horizontalplanes. With such construction, a suitable vertically disposed retainingplate would be formed with the supports adjacent the forward endsthereof, with its lower extremity spaced from the bedlates 150, adistance corresponding substantially to the thickness of a singleelement or roofing strip, whereby the lowermost shingle of each stackmay beejected therefrom without ejecting others in the stack.

Having thus described my invention, it will be understood that numerouschanges and modifications may be made therein without departing from thespirit of the invention as defined in the subjoined claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In apparatus of the character described, means for supportingroofingelements ,in a, plurality of spaced stacks, means cooperating with saidsupporting 'means for successively withdrawing the lowermost element ofeach of said stacks, whereby to form a set opelements composed of oneelement from each of said stacks, and means for accumulating a pluralityof said sets of elements into a bundle.

2. In apparatus of the character described, means for supporting roofingelements in a plurality of spaced stacks with the elements thereof lyingin planes greater than 45 to the horizontal, and means for sequentiallyre moving the bottommost elementsfrom said stacks. i

3. In apparatus of the character described, means for supporting roofingelements in a plurality of spaced stacks with the elements thereof lyingin planes greater than 45 to the horizontal, and means for sequentiallyremoving the elements from said stacks, said last named means comprisingmechanism for engaging said elements alongan edge thereof and moving thesame forwardly in a plane parallel to the plane of the elements. v

4. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a series of spacedsupports each adapted to hold a stack of roofing elements in face toface contact, means for sequentially contacting the bottom-most elementon said supports along an edge of said elements to move the sameforwardly and away from the supports, and means for gathering theelements thus removed from the supports into, a bundle composed of aplurality of elements from each of-said stacks. I

5 In apparatus of the character described,

a plurality of spaced supports each adapted,

to hold a plurality of roofing elements in face to face contact, andmeans for simultaneously removing an element from each of said supports,saidlast-named means coacting sequentially with said supports to removethe elements therefrom and means for collecting the elements thusremoved into bundles com-' posed of a plurality of elements from each ofsaid stacks.

V 6. In apparatus of the character described,

means for'supporting roofing elements in a plurality of spaced stacks,means for suc cessively removing one of the elements from each of saidstacks and accumulating the elements thus removed in piles each composedof T a collection of elements removed from said stacks and means foraccumulating a number of said piles into a bundle of roofing elementscomposed of a plurality of elements from each of said stacks.

7. In apparatus of the character-described,

means for supporting roofing elements in a plurality of spaced stacks,means for successively removing one of the elements from each of saidstacks in sequence and accumulating 8. In apparatus of the characterdescribed,

, means for supporting roofing elements in a plurality of spaced stacks,means for successively removing one of the elements from each of saidstacks in sequence and accumulating the elements thus removed from saidstacks in a continually advancing series of piles each composed of acollectlon of elements'removed from said stacks and means for assemblinga plurality of said piles into I,

bundles containing a number of from each of said stacks; v 9. Inapparatus of the character described, means for supporting roofingelements in a elements a plurality of spaced stacks with theelementsthereof lying vin planes greater than fortyfive degrees to thehorizontal, means for seuentially removing the bottom-most element romsaid stacks, means for accumulating sets of elements composed of oneelement from each of said stacks and means-for collecting said sets intobundles composed of aplurality of elements from eachof said stacks.Signed at Rutherford, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey,this 2nd Y day of May, A. D. 1929.

' DONALD A, CUMFER.

